Feds: Long Island letter carrier threw mail in dumpsters

A letter carrier from Long Island (not pictured) is accused of throwing mail in the trash, federal authorities say.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A letter carrier from Long Island is facing federal criminal charges after he was allegedly caught not delivering mail and instead is alleged to have dumped more than a thousand letters in a trash dumpster along his route in Seaford, The New York Post reported March 18.

Patrick Paskett, 24, of Massapequa Park, was arrested by agents from the US Postal Service’s Office of the Inspector General and charged with mail destruction, a crime that could land him in federal prison for up to five years.

Authorities said the agents started following Paskett on March 6 after the postal service received complaints from customers on his route saying their mail was not being delivered.

Paskett – who was hired as a letter carrier in June 2013 – was allegedly caught throwing mail into a dumpster in Massapequa Park, court documents said. Authorities said they were able to recover 1,018 letters in trash receptacles after following him on four different days.

When investigators interviewed him a few days later, he allegedly told them he had thrown away mail on approximately 15 other occasions since December 2013. He also told the agents “he knew it was wrong to throw away the mail,” according to a federal charging document.

Paskett was arrested last Thursday and released without bail after being arraigned at U.S. District Court in Central Islip.

A woman who answered the phone at Paskett’s home in Massapequa Park would not comment on the accusations.

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Mike Balsamo is a Long Island hyperlocal journalist bringing breaking news and insights from the criminal justice system. An experienced community news reporter, Mike is bringing news on arrests, trials, pleas and suburban New York law enforcement. Contact Mike at this address or follow Twitter .